#leaving thomas

Leaving Thomas – Nothing Comes For Free [Album Review]

Country-pop duo Leaving Thomas is back with new music on their brand new album, Nothing Comes For Free. The Calgary-based pair’s follow-up to their self-titled debut album in early 2018 is fresh and bounces with their personalities, which also shows off their vision for where they want to be with their music.

Annika and Bryton aren’t short on vision, it has never been lacking in the time we’ve…

Kiss About It, Leaving Thomas at Boots & Hearts 2018 Interview

Leaving Thomas has got some hot irons in the fire, and we caught up with the Calgary duo at Boots & Hearts 2018 to talk about what they’ve got coming.

The Waiting Kind Of Girlsingers came to the festival as surprise additions to the SiriusXM stage in the VIP barn. It was a welcome bonus to the weekend and meant that all three of the Top of the Country contest finalists were in attendance and…

New Music Spotlight with Eric Church, Dallas Smith and More

New Music From Eric Church, Dallas Smith, In My Coma, Leaving Thomas, and The Trews

This edition of the New Music Spotlight is a country and rock combo. We’ve got lead singles from new albums, new songs from long-time favourites, and all of it adds up to make a great selection of music for a New Music Friday.

Check out all five of the songs now and leave a comment to tell us which of them you’ll…

Calgary Stampede 2018 Nashville North Preview – Biggest Hits and Favourites

The Nashville North lineup at the 2018 Calgary Stampede is loaded with country music talent that will bring big hits and fan favourites to the stage from July 5 to 15.

The 11-day run will bring (in order) Gord Bamford, Petric, Meghan Patrick, Randy Houser, LOCASH, The Road Hammers, James Barker Band, The Washboard Union, The Dungarees, River Town Saints, and Leaving Thomas into the spotlight. And…

Congratulations to Leaving Thomas (West Region), Andrew Hyatt (Central Region), and Jason Benoit (East Region) for making it through to the finals!

We would also like to congratulate Shawn Austin, Kristin Carter, The Redhill Valleys, Cory James Mitchell, Ian Janes, and Chris Ryan for their success in making it to the semi-finals and showing Canadian country music fans what they have to offer as they move forward in their careers.

Related: SiriusXM Top of the Country Semi-Finalists Q&A

Tracy Martin, president of the Canadian Country Music Association, hit the nail on the head with her comments about the announcement…

“The talent in the first phase of Top of The Country was exceptional, it’s hard to believe that we are down to three… We can’t wait to see them perform at the finale during Country Music Week.”

Now that the three finalists have been selected we can look forward to the summer section of the contest that includes a performance for each of the finalists at a major country music festival. Hyatt, Leaving Thomas (Annika Odegard & Bryton Udy), and Benoit will also make trips to Nashville where they will participate in a week-long SOCAN songwriting trip, followed by a two-day mentorship session in Toronto with major industry professionals, including Nashville-based hit songwriter J.T. Harding. For each of these artists, these experiences will offer an opportunity to further their careers, earn new fans, write new songs, and establish themselves as major players in Canadian country.

And then, after the summer fun has ended, all three Top of the Country grand prize finalists will make their way to Hamilton, Ontario for Canadian Country Music Week 2018 and an epic music performance battle!

In the end, only one winner can be named. And while all three finalists will have had the chance to share in the trips to Nashville, Toronto, and Hamilton, one will take home the grand prize.

That grand prize, the one that Jason Benoit, Andrew Hyatt, and Leaving Thomas all hope to take home, includes a SOCAN songwriting camp in Pender Island, British Columbia, a $25,000 cash prize, and more!

We’ve had the chance to see all three of these emerging country stars perform live on big stages. We’ve also had the opportunity to sit down and talk to them about their music and careers… and we can tell you that they’re all awesome.

Good luck to Andrew, Annika & Bryton, and Jason!

Now, have another look at the songs that got these three artists to the finals – and stay tuned to find out who will be crowned SiriusXM’s Top of the Country champion!

Leaving Thomas – Kiss About It

Andrew Hyatt – Habit

Jason Benoit – Slow Hand

Get Me There – Shawn Austin Interview & 5 Quick Questions

Shawn Austin’s career is on the upswing, and the Vancouver country singer is ready to take full advantage of every opportunity he has to take things to the next level.

We caught up with the Paradise Found singer at the SiriusXM offices in Toronto to talk about his latest single, Get Me There, as well as his current run of shows opening for High Valley, new music and more.



Coming off of a guest…

“Best Adventure” by Leaving Thomas

At the beginning of the year, country duo Leaving Thomas released their self-titled 8-song album which includes their catchy song “Best Adventure.”

“Best Adventure” draws you in right from the start with the “oh oh oh’s” before Annika Odegard kicks off the country pop song claiming that “you’re like a margarita town on a hot summer day.” The high energy song is perfect for the upcoming spring season and a great addition to any road trip (or adventure!) playlist.

In an interview with Postmedia the duo revealed that their friendship is the best part of their group. Odegard explained the two saying, “I always say that he’s the younger brother I never had and I’m the older sister he never wanted. We are the best duo. We are the best combination because we are not dating, but we’re really, really close.”